Reading Rant

It's been a while since I've had a taste of my own medicine. I am supposed to read a book, and I don't want to. I promised a student at the end of the school year that I would read one of British novelist Terry Pratchett's hilarious fantasy books, The Colo(u)r of Magic. And here it is, middle of June, and I have yet to finish it. That's not to say I haven't read any books at all--because I have. It's just that when I pick up The Color of Magic, I know that I am going to be bored. I don't care about the magical land of Ankh-Morpork. (If that's even how you spell it "correctly." I don't even care enough to get out of my chair to get the book to double-check the spelling.) I don't care about the characters. It's only sporadically humorous. My time would be better spent taking my dog for a walk. But I promised my student I would read it, so I'm trudging through it.

I do the same thing to my students, though. I tell them that they must read a novel on which they will be quizzed and tested, and they sometimes comply. They read out of a sense of "have to," not "want to." Usually, some students grumble and complain, even if it's a book that I think is great. But I want to read CoM, so I can tell my students that I've read a book I didn't enjoy. How silly is that, though, really?

Shouldn't students be allowed to read what they want to read? Who can they complain to if they don't like the novel that THEY have selected? Usually, students read faster when it is a book they have a vested interest in. Students need to be reading, and that's exactly what they will be doing in my English class this coming fall. Aside from the required novels, I will provide opportunities for students to read books of their own choosing. And I will provide daily class time for silent reading. How I spend my time in the classroom demonstrates what is important to me. Teachers can say reading is important, but if they never model it for their students and if they never provide time in class, when will high school students rediscover the joy of reading?

I also expect my students to constantly be reading outside of class. And text messages don't count. I think 30 minutes each school night is reasonable. Just turn off MTV or VH1 for one episode.

Now, I've procrastinated enough for today. I need to take my dog for a walk. And then I need to read a book. Maybe one that I actually want to read.